Invitation to the opening of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, 1893

The first portion of the Liverpool Overhead Railway between Alexandra and Herculaneum Docks was formally opened on 4 February, 1893. The ceremony was performed by Lord Salisbury at the Liverpool Overhead Railway electricity generating station at Bramley Moore Dock, followed by a special train ride for those present. The Liverpool Overhead Railway generated its own electricity to power the railway until 1927 when they transferred to Liverpool Corporation.

The railway opened to the public on 6 March 1893. Services ran between 5am and 11.30pm and in the first full year of operation (1894) 6,505,816 people travelled on it. It reached a peak in 1919 of 17,290,878 passengers.

Accession number MMM.2004.15.3

The text on the invitation reads:

Liverpool Overhead Railway

Opening Ceremony

Saturday February 4th 1893

Admit the Bearer and Friend to the Generating Station, Bramley Moore Dock.